Portable computers have become ubiquitous in today's society. Working almost anywhere and at any time on a portable computer has become a part of the daily lives of millions of people.
To transport portable computers from place to place, most people use computer cases. Computer cases provide protection from mechanical shock due to accidental impacts and also provide some degree of protection from environmental hazards, such as heat, light, and dust, for example. To provide adequate protection from this multitude of hazards, however, most computer cases are large and bulky, and are designed such that the computer must be removed from the computer case prior to use.
Moreover, with the decreasing cost of portable computers and increasing availability of wireless networks and applications, many families have replaced desktop computers with portable computers as their primary home computers.
While traditional large and bulky computer cases offer the protection necessary for moving computers over long distances (e.g. for work to home), these computer cases are cumbersome to use within the home. Before moving the computer, traditional computer cases require a time consuming process of shutting down the computer and disconnecting wires, power supplies, and peripherals. A user then packs the computer, power supplies, wires, and peripherals in the case. Because of this lengthy process, home portable computer users usually eschew using computer cases when moving the computer around the home (e.g. from room to room) and, thus, risk damage from accidental impacts or environmental hazards.
Therefore, a need exists for a lightweight computer case that provides protection from environmental hazards and accidental impacts, but also allows the user quick and easy access to the computer.
For simplicity and clarity of illustration, the drawing figures illustrate the general manner of construction, and descriptions and details of well-known features and techniques may be omitted to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the invention. Additionally, elements in the drawing figures are not necessarily drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help improve understanding of embodiments of the present invention. The same reference numerals in different figures denote the same elements.
The terms “first,” “second,” “third,” “fourth,” and the like in the description and in the claims, if any, are used for distinguishing between similar elements and not necessarily for describing a particular sequential or chronological order. It is to be understood that the terms so used are interchangeable under appropriate circumstances such that the embodiments of the invention described herein are, for example, capable of operation in sequences other than those illustrated or otherwise described herein. Furthermore, the terms “include,” and “have,” and any variations thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, system, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements is not necessarily limited to those elements, but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus.
The terms “left,” “right,” “front,” “back,” “top,” “bottom,” “over,” “under,” and the like in the description and in the claims, if any, are used for descriptive purposes and not necessarily for describing permanent relative positions. It is to be understood that the terms so used are interchangeable under appropriate circumstances such that the embodiments of the invention described herein are, for example, capable of operation in other orientations than those illustrated or otherwise described herein. The term “on,” as used herein, is defined as on, at, or otherwise adjacent to or next to or over.
The terms “couple,” “coupled,” “couples,” “coupling,” and the like should be broadly understood and refer to connecting two or more elements or signals, electrically and/or mechanically, either directly or indirectly through intervening circuitry and/or elements. Coupling (whether only mechanical, only electrical, or both) may be for any length of time, e.g., permanent or semi-permanent or only for an instant.
The absence of the word “removably,” “removable,” and the like near the word “coupled,” and the like does not mean that the coupling, etc. in question is or is not removable.